


Never Move to Maine

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: Fresh Perspectives [7]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, F/M, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-06
Updated: 2014-10-06
Packaged: 2018-02-20 05:10:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2416142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Certain portions of the evening definitely felt like a Motley Crue video.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Never Move to Maine

The loud rumble of thunder brought Stella out of the soft safety of sleep. She groaned a little, closing her eyes again. She had no idea what time it was but since it was Sunday, almost any time was too early. There had been a party the night before and the spirits flowed. One of Stella’s fellow agents, Sean Keppler, was celebrating the big 3-0. Their team did a pub crawl through Baltimore Harbor, harkening back to their carefree Academy days.

There were lots of hookups but Stella stayed away from all that; she just enjoyed the party. She never liked the idea of losing control, didn’t see how anyone could, so she got to her happy buzzed place and stayed there. Most of her brethren went nearly to the point of no return. She and Dani got a ride back to DC with “Papa” Chuck Waverly, one of their supervisors. He’d just saw his 40th birthday come and go; all the younger agents looked up to him.

Sober as a stone, Chuck was a teetotaler (formerly Straight Edge); he let the girls sing along to Van Halen as he drove down I-95. He walked Stella to her front door and made sure she was safely inside before pulling off to take Dani to her home in Woodley Park. Stella was still singing _Poundcake_ as she walked up the stairs and to her door. She found herself struggling with the keys; was surprised when the door came open

“Hey there,” Jack smiled.

“You're home.” Stella launched herself into his arms.

The profiler held her close to him as he managed to close the door and lock it. They'd been separated again, this time for six days. The BAU was in Madison, Wisconsin on murders reminiscent of Son of Sam. The team found a wolf pack of twenty somethings was responsible. They got back to Quantico late in the evening.

Jack tried to reach Stella but got her voicemail. That concerned him so he sent a text. There was no response. He drove to her place, using his new key to get in, and looked around. Nothing was more out of place than usual…damp towels in the bathroom showed she had been there recently. Jack grabbed a bite to eat and decided to wait for her. Now she was in his arms.

“I missed you.” She mumbled into his dress shirt.

“I missed you too. This is a pretty snazzy outfit; you must have been out on the town.”

Stella moved out of his arms and struck a pose.

“You like what you see, SSA Hotchner?”

“Always, baby.”

She wore a pair of black flared slacks, a purple glittered tank top that snapped around her neck and left her back nearly bare. Jack loved her back with the smooth ivory skin and the smattering of freckles. He didn’t know how he felt about other men looking at it, fantasizing about it, or possibly touching it. They better not even try to touch it…not if they knew what was good for them. Jack shook the thought from his head as he started toward the kitchen.

“Where are you going?” Stella asked.

“I think you could use a cup of tea.” Jack replied.

“Ooh, that’s a lovely idea.”

Stella dug a clove and lighter from her purse before dropping it on the couch. She joined Jack in the kitchen, sitting at the counter.

“What did you do tonight?” He asked, filling the kettle with water.

“It was Sean Keppler’s birthday. We decided to channel our inner frat boy and do a pub crawl. Good times.”

“Really?” Her boyfriend raised an eyebrow. It made him look even more like his father.

“Sure. It’s not like I do it very often. Sometimes it great to just let go and get a little Coyote Ugly.”

“I find it difficult to argue with your decision to dance atop a bar.”

“I bet.” Stella grinned and took a deep inhale of her clove. She blew it out slowly, putting the clove out in a nearby ashtray. “Some people take it too far though.”

“How far is too far?” Jack asked. He grabbed two mugs from the cupboard. Dropping in Sleepy Time teabags, he poured in the boiling water. He sat across from Stella and handed her a mug along with a spoon.

“I, obviously, don’t mind overlooking the antiquated fraternization rule that the FBI uses to keep us in line. I just have a real problem with not being able to look fellow agents in the eye the next morning.”

“Ouch.”

“You said it. Certain portions of the evening definitely felt like a Motley Crue video.”

“How did you get home?”

“Papa Chuck; he’s always our DD. I think he has a thing for Dani. He’s like 15 years older than she is but Chuck is a really good guy who needs a good woman.”

“Not if he’s trolling for young women.” Jack replied.

Stella laughed. She laughed loud, covering her mouth. Jack gently removed her hand as he always did.

“Words like troll shouldn’t even be in the same sentence with guys like Chuck. He reminds me of my Mike; just a damn good guy. He’s a super Agent but in social situations the word wallflower comes to mind. I told Dani she should give him some…she told me months ago that she dug him too.”

“Don’t play matchmaker.”

“Why not? Its fun and I'm good at it.”

“Haven’t you ever read _Emma_?” Jack asked.

“It’s only my favorite book. In the end she gets the best yummy of all, Mr. Knightley.”

“ _Emma_ is your favorite book?”

“Mmm hmm.” Stella scooped the teabag out of her mug, softly blowing on the tea. “What's yours?”

“It’s not as literary.” He replied.

“I don’t care; tell me anyway.”

“ _Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption_.”

“I love you, John Bradshaw Hotchner.”

“I love you too.”

“Your favorite book is perfect you know.” She sipped her tea. “There aren’t many that can make that claim.”

“I snuck and read it when I was eleven. I think my mom would have been a little upset to find me reading books with adult themes. I used to read under my blanket with a book light after I was supposed to be asleep. Stephen King mesmerized me for years after that. He taught me a lot about monsters and the strength of the human spirit.”

“He taught me never to move to Maine.”

Jack laughed, leaning across the counter to kiss her. Stella stroked his face. He needed a shave but she found that sexy. Surely he’d be clean cut by his Monday morning return to Quantico; the stubble was nice for the weekend though. She loved the way it felt on her skin…all over her skin.

“Well there is that. There were plenty of suspense writers who made DC a scary place.” Jack said.

“The news does a good job of that as well. I think its bedtime.”

Stella stood from the stool, stretching her arms over her head. She wanted out of her boots, out of her clothes, and under her blankets. She wanted maximum snuggle time with Jack. When she walked toward the bedroom without another word, Jack cleaned up their tea. He wiped down the counter before joining her.

“Oh good, you're here.” Stella held up her hair. “Can you unsnap me?”

“Of course.” He did as she asked, gently kissing the nape of her neck. “Damn, I've missed your skin.”

“It missed you too, believe me.”

Stella turned in his arms, letting the shirt fall as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Jack kissed her hard and she moaned.

“Its bedtime, Agent Rossi,” Jack mumbled as she made quick work of the buttons on his dress shirt.

“Mmm, I love the sound of that. I want to hold you tight and never let go.”

***

Stella turned on her side, cuddling close to Jack. She gently kissed his chest. He stirred but didn’t wake. Jack’s arms slid around her back, holding her body to his.

“Do you know what time it is?” He muttered.

“Should I?”

“Stel…”

“I'm not waking you up.” She stifled a yawn.

“You're not?”

“Mmm, nope. You probably don’t know this since you can't see but you’re so adorable when you're asleep.”

“My mother used to tell me that.” Jack replied, stroking her back.

“She's a very smart woman.”

“You need to go back to sleep, baby. Its early, its raining, and its Sunday…you don’t have to be up.”

Stella sat up some and looked at the alarm clock.

“It’s 8:19.” She announced.

“That’s what I said; it’s early.”

“I feel so awake though.”

“That’s a trick of the mind.” Jack said.

“You think so?”

“I know so. It’s the opposite of a hangover; you feel energetic.”

“Yeah,” Stella nodded. “You're not making that up are you?”

“Absolutely not. I bet if you closed your eyes right now you'd be asleep in a few minutes.”

“I could try.”

“Yes,” Jack kissed her forehead. “You could.”

“Can we have pancakes later?”

“Mmm hmm. They’ll be golden, fluffy…” His voice trailed off.

“You're making me hungry, Jack.”

He mumbled something incoherent and Stella knew he was out. She smiled, turning over to look out of the window. The rain would help her fall asleep; it always did when she was a little girl. Jack turned over too. He spooned behind her, the deep breaths of sleep warm in her ear. Comforted by his embrace after time apart, Stella finally closed her eyes and let sleep take her as well.

***


End file.
